On March 27 episode of the SBS television show 'Jungle Bob 2', cast members Ryu Soo-young, Choi Hyun-seok, Choi Daniel, and Kim Ok-bin took on the challenge of cooking at dizzying heights in the Peruvian Andes.
Upon landing at Cusco Airport, which is even higher than the peak of Mount Baekdu, the 'Jungle Bob 2' team immediately felt the effects of altitude sickness. Choi Daniel remarked, "I felt like I couldn't breathe the moment I got off the plane," while Choi Hyun-seok added, "It feels like there's a millstone on my chest, and as we go higher, it feels like two or three are stacked on top."
After exploring the historic city of Cusco, once the capital of the Inca Empire, the team headed to the village of Misminay, located at an altitude of 3,718 meters. The villagers welcomed them with traditional music and dance. Choi Hyun-seok struggled with a hat that did not fit his head, leading to playful teasing about his "big head," which brought laughter to the group.
The next challenge took place at the Salineras salt mines. The team was awestruck by the breathtaking view of over 4,000 individually owned salt pans perched on the mountainside. However, they soon found themselves laboring with 10kg wooden mallets to compact the salt. Kim Ok-bin impressed everyone with her skills, earning praise as the "ace," while Choi Hyun-seok, shaking his head, admitted, "This is tougher than squid fishing." To add to his embarrassment, he discovered that the stern local supervisor was actually three years younger than him.
After the laborious day, the team returned to the village to prepare dinner. While Ryu Soo-young took on the challenge of making alpaca noodle soup, Kim Ok-bin was tasked with making an egg omelet. Choi Hyun-seok, watching over her shoulder, advised, "You need to wipe off the oil to make it thin," but the eggs ended up sticking to the pan. Frustrated, Choi Hyun-seok playfully exclaimed, "Old-timers like me should just retire!" When Kim Ok-bin successfully made the omelet on her second try, she joked, "It seems to work better without Chef Choi Hyun-seok around," drawing laughter from the group. To make matters worse, Choi Hyun-seok forgot to close the rice cooker lid, ruining the rice, and was reminded of a past mistake where he forgot garlic in a dish, leading him to jokingly lament, "My restaurant's going to go out of business!"
Ryu Soo-young served the team a hearty alpaca noodle soup with a rich broth reminiscent of beef stew. Even Choi Hyun-seok, exhausted from the salt mine labor, could not help but praise the dish, while Kim Ok-bin's perfectly thin omelet added the finishing touch.
The culinary adventure 'Jungle Bob 2' airs every Thursday at 9 PM.
Reporter Kang Sun-ae sakang@sbs.co.kr
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)